Feta Bruschetta Lentil Salad

Grating vs. Mincing Garlic

When it comes to prepping garlic for salad dressings, you’ve got two main options—mincing or grating.

Mincing means finely chopping the garlic with a knife. It’s the old-school, tried-and-true method. 

You get little bits of garlic that disperse evenly throughout a dish, giving you hints of garlic flavor without overpowering everything. 

No extra tools required, just a good knife, a cutting board and maybe a little patience.

Grating garlic has suddenly become TikTok trendy. This means using a fine microplane-type zester to turn garlic into more of a paste. 

This releases more juice and creates a stronger, more pungent flavor, since the garlic’s natural oils get fully unleashed. 

It’s great for dressings and sauces where you want garlic flavor in every bite but don’t wanna chomp down into a piece. 

The downside? It’s easy to overdo it. One clove grated can feel like three cloves minced. 

And if you’ve ever accidentally grated a fingertip (Yowch!), you know the risk is real.

So, which should you use? If you want mellow garlic flavor with a little texture, mince it. If you want a smooth, intense garlic hit—grate away.

In most of my salads, I mince the garlic. My klutziness paired with razor-sharp kitchen tools is a match made in Band-Aid heaven. 

But no matter how you prep it, garlic makes everything better. 

Well, except your breath.